


Hot Chocolate

by Hisa_Ai



Series: 31 Days of Christmas [22]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: 31 Days of fic, AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas prompts, Fluff, Hot Chocolate, Love, M/M, Modern Day, Prompt Fic, Yule, day 22
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 18:14:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1097071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hisa_Ai/pseuds/Hisa_Ai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin just wants his tea, but Arthur obviously has other plans for the evening.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hot Chocolate

* * *

  

All Merlin wanted to do when he came home after a long day of running errands and doing the shopping that Arthur would not do, was cuddle up on the couch with the prat himself and a nice cup of tea. That was how he ended most days, and it was nice, relaxing, it allowed him a moment to be at peace with everything that was going on. He would do without Arthur's company if he had to—if he was out running last minute errands or running late at work or being a prat somewhere else at the moment—but the tea? That was a must-have. Without his tea to help ease and relax him after a long day, Merlin was on edge, tense, and easy to irritate.

And Arthur knew that oh-too well.

"Arthur! Where's my tea?" Merlin yelled from the kitchen, searching through the cupboards and pantry as the kettle sat steaming nearby. Just that morning there had been  _plenty!_  But now it was all mysteriously  _gone_  and Merlin was not amused. Of all the stupid things Arthur could have done, why did he have to mess with his  _tea?_

"Arthur Pendragon! If you do not tell me what you did with my tea, I swear to God—"

"Sorry, love, did you say something?" Arthur asked cheekily, grinning as he walked into the kitchen casually.

Merlin scowled at him, eyes narrowed. "Where. Is. My.  _Tea?"_ He seethed, turning to face Arthur with his hands on his hips. Arthur nodded in an exaggerated manner, pursing his lips in playful thought.

"Your tea?" He repeated.

"Yes, my  _tea_. What have you done with it?"

"Now what makes you think  _I've_ done something with it?"

"Because I sure as hell didn't move it and we're the only two who live here, so  _you_  tell  _me_  what makes me think you've done something with it."

Arthur just shrugged in response, then made a big show of looking through all the places Merlin had just looked, opening all the cupboards and inspecting the pantry as though he expected to find it, as though Merlin had over-looked it. Merlin was growing irritated at his charade. No. He was not allowed to mess with Merlin's  _tea_. That line was not to be crossed and he bloody well knew it.

"Well, if you can't have your tea, how about we just have some hot chocolate, then?" Arthur suggested, pulling some things out down from an already open cabinet.

Merlin made a face as Arthur pulled out two cups and went about making them each a cup of hot chocolate, moving about the kitchen almost rhythmically as he scooped the powder into the cups, added the vanilla and whatever else he had out before he finally poured the boiling water into them, grabbed a couple of spoons and stirred. He went over to another cabinet and pulled out a bag of marshmallows, then turned back to Merlin.

"Come on, then," he gestured at the cups on the counter and looked at Merlin expectantly.

"I don't like hot chocolate, Arthur," Merlin sighed. But of course, he  _knew_  that.

"But you'll  _love_  this hot chocolate." Arthur assured him, nudging his cup forward.

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I've added a special ingredient." He told him, his eyes twinkling almost childishly.

"I swear, if you say it's  _love_ , Arthur, I will call everyone you know and tell them what a  _sap_  you are,"

"It is  _not_  love. You don't deserve  _love_  in yours. Not with that attitude."

"Arthur..."

"Merlin, just... try it, all right?" he told him, pushing the cup forward even more.

Merlin let out an exasperated sigh, frowning deeply as his hands curled around the cup as he brought it up to his mouth, inhaling the deceptively sweet smell and steam that almost burned his nose. He looked at Arthur's grinning face over the top of the cup, rolled his eyes again and took a sip, relishing in the warm and surprisingly delicious taste.

Taken aback, he took another sip before he lowered it, gave Arthur a curious and bewildered look. Merlin did not like hot chocolate. It tasted disgusting and powdery and it burned his tongue and he hated it, but this... No way this was hot chocolate. It was too  _good_.

"Good, right?" Arthur grinned, opening the bag of marshmallows in his hands and dropping a few into his own cup.

"I...  _yes_. How did you—"

"I told you: special. Ingredient." He interrupted, holding the bag of marshmallows out to Merlin. He rolled his eyes, took a few out of the bag and dropped them into his own cup, took another sip that swam in his mouth, too damn good for Arthur to have made it. And yet he did. Merlin had  _watched_ him.

"Was it love?" Merlin asked, curious now.

"No, I  _told_  you: you don't deserve love in yours. There's plenty in mine, though, if you want some," Arthur held out his glass towards Merlin who eyed it suspiciously, unsure what to do. With nothing to lose, however, he sat his own cup down, took Arthur's and took a sip, unable to believe, as the warm liquid danced over his taste-buds in the most lovely sort of way, that it tasted even better than his own did.

As he lowered the cup, he shot Arthur another unbelieving look. What the hell had he put in it?

Arthur grinned, breaking out in a laugh as Merlin glared at him, took another sip.

"Arthur—"

"Plenty of love to go around,  _love_ ," he said teasingly, taking the cup from Merlin as he closed the distance between them, setting it down on the counter just before he wrapped his arms around him, pulled him close for a kiss that was warmer and sweeter than the slowly cooling drink sitting just out of reach was as Merlin's own hands came up and knotted themselves through Arthur's hair.

Maybe hot chocolate wasn't as bad as Merlin thought it to be.

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
